Billfold



J. C. MILLER BILLFOLD Dec. 14, 1948.

Filed Jan. 24, 1944 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Ecc. 14, 1948 FFME BILLFCLD Joseph C. Miller, Compton, Calif., assignor to Coast Envelope & Leather )Products Company, a corporation of California Application January 24, 1944, Serial No. 519,487

2 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved billfold4 formed of flexible material of the type used to carry bills, cards and the like.

An object of this invention is to provide a billfold of the character referred to of simple form. and construction, consisting of a single blank which when folded provides a substantially flat money and card receptacle.

Another object of my invention is to provide `a billfoid of simple form and construction in which the outer and inner wall are secured together atl their longitudinal edges so that there is no relative movement therebetween and the remainder of the members constituting the billfold being so connected to each other and to the outer and inner v,

walls directly along the longitudinal folding edges in such a manner that there is no relative independent movement therebetween.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description and drawings. Referring to the drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only,

Fig. l is a blank of flexible material from which I the billfoldis made; n

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l after the rsti,

folding operation has been performed;

Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 2 after the second folding operation has beenperformed;

Fig. 4 is a view of the completed billfold looking toward the inner wall;

Fig. 5 is a face View of the divider;

Fig. 6 is a sectional, perspective View along lines S--S of Fig. 4;

Fig. '7 is an enlarged sectional view on line 'l-i of Fig. 2 showing the manner of connecting the divider to the bridging member; and

Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional view on line 8--8 of Fig. 4.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, in Fig. l is shown a blank generally indicated at iii. This blank, as heretofore indicated, is made of flexible material and may be considered as divided by three folding lines indi-cated by dot dash lines indicated at Il, l2 and I3 into four parts generally referred to as an outer wall l5, an inner wall i6, a connecting wall I1 and a bridging member or wall I8. While I have shown the blank I as made of a single piece of ilexible material it is to be understood that the blank may be made of two pieces, one piece forming the outer and inner walls l5 and I6 and the other part forming the connecting wall l1 and bridging member or wall IB. When so made the two parts may be sewed or otherwise secured to each other at or adjacent to the folding line l2.

The purpose of making the blank in two parts is that more expensive or better nished material may be used for the exposed parts oi the billfold while the parts forming the connecting wall and .bridging member may be made of lighter material which is more easily folded and produces a iiatter billfold.

The blank itl is cut out forming an opening indicated at 2li which extends from the :folding line ii to the folding line i3, a tongue 2i being left attached to the wall l5, which tongue is folded back upon the inner face oi the wall i5 as shown in Fig. 2 and cemented or otherwise secured to such Wall i5 thereby doing away with what might otherwise be a raw edge on the wall l5 at the end of the opening 263. The opening E@ divides the inner wall it into two parts or wall members it and the `connecting wall il into two parts or wall members Il.

For the purpose of making a finished edge along the side or" the wall i5, the exposed edge 22 of such wall i5 is folded inwardly and downwardly on the wall l5 and secured thereto by cementing, this edge being folded on the dot-dash line 23.

The wall l5 is provided at each end with a flap v 2d by means of which the ends of the walls i5 and i5 are secured together as hereinafter described.

The bllfolcl may oe made with or without a divider wall for separating bills or other papers in the billfold. When the divider is included notches, indicated at 26, are cut in the ends of wall il and corresponding tabs 2l formed inthe ends of the bridging member i8 by cutting such member in from the ends. The divider is a single flat mmber :it of lexible material as shown in Fig. 5.

The blank heretofore described is folded into a billfold in the following manner: The first operation is to fold the bridging member i8 on the connecting wall il and when so folded the blank has the appearance shown in Fig. 2. The divider wall 3E! .is then placed under the connecting wall il as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 and such wall is sewed to the tabs 2l of the wall i8 as shown in Fig. 7, the sewing being indicated at 3l. The superimposed Walls il and it together with the divider wall 3@ are then folded as a unit on the inner wall it assuming the position shown in Fig. 3. When this has been done the iiaps 2li on the outer wall iii are folded inwardly as shown in Fig. 3 and cement is applied to the face of such flaps and o n the end margins 33 of the inner wall HS. When this has been done the 26 receive the stitched tabs v2l, thereby preventing the overallfthickness of thefdevicebeing increasedby the stitching. Such mounting of the divider wall is also conducive to flexibility and to accessibility of the bottoms of the billfold compartments.

The connecting Wall il and bridging member or wall I8 are shorter in'leng'ththan*theinner inner Wall and the iaps 24 are cemented together the pocket so formed by the1innerand outerwall freely receives the ends of the bridging member and connecting Wall. This diiierence-in length in the Walls results in the forming of shoulders 'l'atthe upper cornersiof the innervv'all I6. Atfithei-upper edge corners of the"billfold at Ithef'point Where the'aps/"' are- `cemented to yfthe 'u'ppe'r end edges of the -Wall`-l6,` th'atis, 'at the ftobe'comeloosened or torn after continued use of the billfold. To obviate this I use a U'shaped `"'l'ljet'a'l' m'emberindicatedat`35 which extends over ffthenpperfedge of the flapsd and the'fupper clampingmember are then-pressed together rmly lajnping the parts together and protecting such rn'ers!` ofthe` bil-lfold.

When the `billfold Visl made Without the idivider without buckling of the parts or forming'afbulky-- Although the' ninvention has be'en particularly 4o "vvn and'l'described itfiscontemplated that ;various "modications and' changes can be inade "fvvithout4 departing from the scope ofthe invention aiidit'isintended to Acover such changes 'as comeL the claims. I claim as myinvention:

1. A billfold comprising: outer and inner'walls shoulders 49' :there`l is a tendency for such"`pa`rts rnersloffthe wall 46,' the@ legs of thisA U-shjpedof flexible material, said outer Wall being rectangular in shape and having an area inclusive of the area of a bill to be carried, said inner wall being formed of two spaced inner wall members Aeach forming an extension of the outer Wall member; a bridging member of rectangular shape; a two part connecting wall member attached ai'ongbne edgeto theiiriierfwall.fandfalong the *ffbppositeJdge tothe bridging-member, 'all of said l members forming one continuous flexible blank and said bridging member, said connecting wall f and said inner Wall being successively folded upon ""each other and upon the outer Wall; means for jf-ffpermanently securing the end edges of the outer tvallt'toi-'jtlfiel endtdges of the inner Wall; and a nl:"divfiderne'r`rll'o'er between the outer Wall and the A -connectingfwall attached at its ends to the bridg- 'ing member.

ZB-A billfold comprising: outer and inner Walls of iiexible material, said outer Wall being rectan- "cgular in='shapeandhaving arr-area inclusive of "the-'-area" of l a'i'billl to be'r"carried;'said inner Wall being formed of two .spacedinner Wall members leach formin-gfarrextensionof'the 'outer Wall mem- 25^ber afbrid'gingmemberoff-rectangular shape; a "two partconnectingwallfmember' attached along *one edgei to the inner iwall'andf along the opposite edge to the bridging membenalll of saidmembers forming one continuous"exible 'blank and' said 3obr'idging'memberrsaid':connecting"Wall and said 2inner*rvs/all?being" -succssivelyi'folded upon each "-otherandupon itheiouterfwall;'=means `for permanentlyfsecuringithe'fendcedges" vof lthe outer fwallf to the endeges ofltheinn'erwall,l said connectin'g wallhaving lainotchat.''ea'ch end; tabs-on fsaidfrbridgingfimember t "corresponding to' the ffnctcnesliin' the "couneciti'ngrWall;1 and a f divider member betweenth'evouter tvall'land'connecting "wallsecured at eachendto the tabs on the bridg Kling?e lninber.

'JSEPH CTMILLER.

R'EF-ERENCES' CITED The following references; are lof record in the i11e4 of tnis'pateDt:

' TEDffsTAr-Es'.--PTENTS 

